Happy New Year, and with new years, there is often this sentiment to rebrand and create a “new me.” I was originally going to write this issue’s column on the fun of creating vision boards, browsing through Pinterest, and manifesting the absolute best for 2026, but my recent trip to India gave me another idea.
My mom and I visited the motherland during winter break, and aside from the usual of going home and spending time with family, we also embarked on a short trip to a neighboring state called Rajasthan. Like every place in India, Rajasthan too has a deep history and unique cultures. It is affiliated with several powerful kingdoms that have left their mark on Indian history. Most of the trip involved going to old palaces, forts, and temples. Additionally, Rajasthan is renowned for its artisan work and craftsmanship, especially with regard to fashion, textiles, sculptures, paintings, and more. This, of course, meant that we frequented a lot of local shops and marveled at the beauty of it all.
One shop that really struck a chord with me was right outside of this fortress within the city of Jaisalmer. It was a one-stop shop for anything fashion-related, and we spent quite a lot of time here looking through it all. One of the shop owners who was showing us pieces with various local designs also shared the story of the store. It was a co-operatively owned business where 30% was owned by him and his family, and the other 70% was distributed across all of the women in nearby villages. Primarily artisans, these women weaved the fabrics, implemented the embroidery, designed the patterns and more. It was quite astonishing to hear about. In India, there’s so much creativity and good quality fashion, but very rarely do you get to hear about the people responsible for creating them. These women are working from their villages, creating art using techniques perfected over centuries, so that the world can enjoy their designs with little to no credit. It really warmed my heart that at this particular shop, not only were they accredited for their creations, but they even had a buy-in to the establishment itself and the profits.
On our way out, we even got to talk to a few women artisans who were partners of the shop. It was intriguing to see the work they were doing, and even now, I cannot imagine how many hours must be spent creating one piece by hand. While I’m sure their work is taxing, it provides for them and their families. It gives them the opportunity and agency to work straight from their homes and get a piece of the pie. In an era of fast fashion where many people in India and other parts of the world work long hard hours in facilities with no infrastructure for very little pay, it is refreshing to see a more ethical and sustainable model where the world can continue to reap the benefits of these artisans’ talent and the artisans are appreciated and properly compensated for their work. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but seeing and hearing about this made me want to discuss it and, more importantly, celebrate it.
